


The Future's Open Wide

by mizface



Series: PiP future fic [3]
Category: Pretty In Pink (1986)
Genre: F/M, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 22:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4804880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steff decides it's time to ask Andie out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Future's Open Wide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lucifuge5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5/gifts).



> It's a day late, but happy birthday Luce!!! Yes, I *finally8 finished your requested auction fic - woohoo! Thanks again for enabling me - I've really enjoyed writing in this fandom.
> 
> In keeping with the 80's theme, the title is from "Melt With You" by Modern English.

It wasn’t until a minute after Steff hung up the phone that he realized his mistake – he hadn’t asked Duckie – asked _Phil_ to keep their conversation secret. He could feel the anxiety creeping back in. What if he’d called Andie right after they’d ended their conversation? What if the two of them were having a big laugh about it right now?

Steff reached for the phone, not sure of who he would call first. Before he’d hit a button, he stopped himself, blew out a big breath, and shook his head. Good lord. All it took was one blast from the past call and he was right back into high school mode himself, complete with all the adolescent insecurities. He sat back in his chair and chuckled softly to himself. So what if Phil did call Andie? What was the worst that could happen? Steff had behaved himself, made his position clear, and been honest. Sure, Phil could spin it, but even if he did, how bad could it be? And it wasn’t as if Andie wasn’t aware of Steff’s interest. He hadn’t come out and said anything, but he hadn’t been hiding how much he enjoyed their time together either, even if it had all been in the realm of the platonic, with the occasional foray into flirtation.

Not going to worry about it, Steff told himself. Phil had either called her or he hadn’t. What’s more important was the next call _Steff_ made. It was time.

And it was. If Steff had found Andie interesting in high school (and he had, though he had to admit it was at least in part because he knew she was unobtainable), now he was completely beguiled. By her wit, her charm, her talent… oh she had her faults, still, and could push his buttons with surprising ease. But he found himself more attracted than annoyed. 

So he should call and… what? Ask her out, definitely. But where? She wasn’t the type of woman he normally dated (thank God), but that let him in a bit of a pickle. The places he’d normally choose would, he was certain, look to her like he was trying to dazzle her with his money, a move he knew that would turn her off. But by the same token, he wanted to find something more special than the little cafes they’d visited. Charming as they were, he wanted their first date to stand out, without it seeming as if he were showboating. Hmmm… showboating. That gave him an idea. Instead of dialing Andie’s number, Steff went to his laptop and opened the web browser. He had a bit of research to do before making that call.

*******

“Hi Steff.” The warmth in her tone made him grin. He was sure he looked a fool, but as he was alone in his apartment, he didn’t care. He decided not to beat around the bush.

“I was wondering about your schedule over the next week or so.” Wait - that sounded bigger than he’d intended. “For lunch,” he clarified. “I know you can’t leave the shop unattended, so I thought it was best to call ahead.”

“Nice to see you’re learning,” she teased.

“And they said it couldn’t be done. Our teachers would be in awe. You’re a good influence on me.” He’d meant to keep it light, but he was pretty sure that last bit was more truth than tease.

Andie, thankfully, let it slide. “Well, I should probably reward good behavior, encourage more of it, right?”

“I wouldn’t be adverse to some positive reinforcement.”

He could hear her flipping through her calendar. “I’ve got a couple of clients I’m meeting with, and one fitting that had better not be rescheduled again,” she told him. “So as long as no new clients pop up with a crazy deadline, the end of the week looks good. Just lunch, right?”

“Well,” he hesitated. “A long lunch, actually. A couple of hours, if you can spare them.”

“Any reason?”

There it was. Steff took a deep breath. “I’d like to take you out. To lunch.” He resisted banging his head on his desk, instead channeling the energy to try and sound less like an utter moron. “Obviously, lunch. Nothing crazy, but what I have in mind, well, I’d rather not rush. I’d like to give you the time, the treatment, you deserve.”

Andie paused. “That sounds like a date.” 

“It was supposed to,” he responded, quickly adding, “If you’re all right with that, of course.”

He waited, barely breathing, for her reply. “You know,” she said, voice soft and maybe it was his imagination, but he was certain there was a note of fondness there too as she went on. “I think I am.”

They finalized the details and Steff hung up, elated and feeling the urge to spin around in his chair, maybe even do a fistpump into the air. Dear lord, what was that woman doing to him? Steff shook his head and chuckled. Whatever it was, it felt _wonderful_.

******

Having the arrangements made should have helped Steff feel calm, but the closer he came to Friday afternoon, the more anxious he felt. He (barely) resisted the urge to call or text Andie any more than usual, and even though she was always happy to hear from him, he found himself trying to read between lines that probably weren’t even there. It was a good thing he’d planned on making part of the meal himself, because his stress-baking tendencies were out full force. Still, it meant fresh bread for sandwiches, and a variety of cookies.

Finally, after not going out to buy anything new to wear (and definitely not going through his closet several times and cursing that decision), Steff drove up to Andie’s shop. He took the fact that he had no trouble finding a spot as a good omen, even if he didn’t believe in such nonsense.

Andie was on the phone when he arrived. She smiled as he entered, and he gave her a little wave, then turned to give her privacy. If it also hid his utter mortification at the silly move, that was just coincidence. 

It didn’t take long for her to finish the call; she had her purse and a light sweater over her arm when she came to meet him by the door. Steff held the door open for her, then waited as she locked up. When she saw his convertible, she gave him a wry look, eyebrow cocked.

Steff shrugged. He liked nice things, and had the money to get them. “I considered renting a Toyota, but I thought it might look like I was trying too hard.”

Andie laughed and shook her head; Steff felt his anxieties ease, just a little. He opened the passenger door with a flourish. “Your chariot, my lady.”

Andie honest-to-god curtsied in return, her serious, “Thank you, kind sir,” belied by the twinkle in her eyes.

“So where are we going?” she asked once they were on the road. 

“Just a little place I know. Nothing fancy, but the food is excellent.”

“Ooh, mysterious. Have I been there?”

“I highly doubt it.” And that sounded pompous. “Let me surprise you? Trust me, you’ll understand when we get there.”

Andie settled back into her seat with an easy smile. “Okay.”

The conversation as they drove was mostly catch-up, which was fine with Steff. Normalcy was apparently just what he needed, and he was pleased when the last bit of awkwardness finally slipped away. 

He could see Andie was curious, but trying not to spoil the surprise. As they passed several places he was sure she’d had on her list of possibilities, he could see her curiosity grow. When he hit the highway and it became apparent they weren’t eating in town, she gave him a pointed look he couldn’t help but answer. “I swear, nothing crazy. I’m not kidnapping you, and it isn’t much farther.”

She looked dubious, but amused as she sat back to enjoy the scenery.

True to his word, they arrived at their destination less than five minutes later. Her eyes widened as he turned into the entrance to the park.

“Is there a restaurant here I don’t know about?”

Steff waved a hand dismissively. “Restaurants are overrated. I’ve got everything we need in the trunk.” A thought occurred to him, and he turned toward Andie, nervous. “You aren’t allergic to anything, are you? I didn’t just set you up for a massive hay fever attack, did I?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “And hungry! Where are we setting up?”

Steff drove a little farther, parking and putting the top up before starting to unload the trunk. Andie held out her hands in a clear show of _let me help_ , and he handed her a blanket, then the smaller cooler, before grabbing the rest. She followed him to the quiet spot he’d found earlier in the week – not too far away, plenty of shade trees, and an honest to goodness stream burbling nearby. They also have a nice view of the park's small lake, and it was a nice enough day that Steff could see several sailboats on the water.

It was quick work to get everything to the spot he’d chosen, and he indicated that she sit once she’d helped with the blanket. “I didn’t bring you here to make you do any work. Relax, and let me take care of this.”

Andie acquiesced, settling herself gracefully on the blanket. “I can’t believe you brought me on a picnic!” she laughed, delight clear on her features.

“Well, now you see why I was sure you’d never eaten here.”

“That’s true. But some of this does look awfully familiar,” she indicated a couple of boxes with restaurant labels on them.

“You’ve caught me out. I thought about making more of the food, but why mess with a good thing? Besides, I knew you liked these,” he said, pointing to the containers he’d picked up from her favorite café.

“Wait, so you did make some of it?”

He gave her his best look of mock offense, one hand on his chest. “I’ll have you know that I am an excellent cook.”

“If that’s true, why do you eat out so much?”

“Just because I can cook, that doesn’t mean I always want to. Do you make everything you wear?”

“You’ve got me there,” Andie conceded with a smile that turned a tiny bit wicked as she added, “Lingerie’s a bitch to make.”

Steff refused to let the mental images that brought on derail him. Refused. What were they talking about again?

“So, when did you learn to cook?” Andie asked, pulling Steff’s thoughts back into much safer places. He handed her a plate as he answered.

“When I was a child, actually. I used to sneak into the kitchen late at night to steal extra desserts. Well, _any_ dessert, since eating vegetables was a pre-requisite, and I was known for lodging very vocal protests to such horrific requirements.”

Andie covered her mouth with her hand, but Steff could see the smile peeking through. “That is adorable.”

“It most definitely is not. I was never adorable,” he huffed. “Precocious maybe, but not adorable. Anyhow, one night, I got caught by Maggie, our cook. It seems my late night forays had been noticed.”

“Did you get in trouble?”

“No. For some reason, she offered me a deal. She could go to my parents and tell them what I’d been doing, or I could learn to cook. She said maybe then I’d appreciate the food I’d been wasting at dinner, and earn those desserts.”

“And you chose cooking.”

He stopped pouring her an iced tea to give her a wry look. “If you knew my father, you’d see there really wasn’t a choice to be had.” And wasn’t that an understatement.

He was relieved when Andie was kind enough not to follow up on that, instead asking, “How long did the cooking lessons continue?”

“Far longer than either of us expected. As it turns out, I have a knack in the kitchen.”

Andie frowned. “Wait. You do realize we had home ec together, right? I remember you doing everything you could to get out of actually cooking anything.”

“Of course I did. I wasn’t supposed to know how to cook, let alone like it.” He shrugged. “Besides, the teacher was an absolute ass, and a terrible cook.”

“I’ll give you that,” she chuckled. “So go on, you had a knack…”

“I did. I went from washing and chopping to actually helping prepare meals.”

“Did your parents ever find out?”

“My mother knew, I think. Or at least suspected. All my father noticed was that I’d stopped fighting about eating my vegetables. He took it as a victory. So did I, since it was all recipes Maggie and I found together to make them palatable.” He sighed. “I stopped when she retired partway through my junior year. The new cook was less than interested in my being in the kitchen.” Steff didn’t add that he’d felt the same way for quite awhile after Maggie had gone. The kitchen hadn’t felt the same without her. 

“But you didn’t give it up.”

“No. I just put it on hold until I was out of the house.” He hesitated, then confessed. “I find it very calming, especially baking.”

“So if you love to cook, why is some of this take out?” she wondered.

“Two reasons, both of which I told you before. I know you especially like these, and I didn’t want you to think I was trying too hard.”

“We’re on a date, but you don’t want to impress me.”

He paused, looking at the food, but watching her from the corner of his eye. “Oh believe me, I want to impress you. Too much, maybe,” he ended quietly.

Steff busied himself smoothing out a wrinkle in the blanket, his gaze averted from Andie until she stopped him, her hand on his. He looked up and she leaned in for a kiss, just a soft brush of lips over his. 

“Just the right amount, if you ask me,” she told him as she sat back.

It took two tries to get his voice to work. “You haven’t even tried anything yet. You might be disappointed.”

******

Andie definitely wasn’t disappointed, if her reactions to each thing she tried was any indication. And there was a lot to try.

“How many people did you think you were feeding?” she teased when she saw the entire spread.

“I may have had a little trouble deciding what to make,” he told her, a sheepish grin trying to find its way into full view.

“Well, I'm not going to complain, except I'm going to be too stuffed to want to work this afternoon. Everything's delicious.”

“Well, I'm glad you like it.”

“More than like,” Andie said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “You should think about doing something with this.”

“Like what?” he chuckled. “Starting a restaurant?”

“No, at least, not at first,” she replied, looking thoughtful. “But maybe something smaller like catering.”

“I prefer to be catered to, thank you,” he said primly, hoping for a laugh.

She didn’t take the bait, instead giving him a sharp, insightful look. “You know, you are allowed to do things that you love,” she said, voice gentle.

He gave her a sad smile. “That is possibly one of the few luxuries I don't think I can afford.”

Andie sat back with a frown. “You care too much about what other people think, Steff.”

“And you don’t?”

“For my business, yes, to a point. But I don’t let it stop me from doing what I want to do to make me happy.”

Steff felt himself getting defensive, but couldn't stop his reply. “Well then, I suppose you’re a better person than I am.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, finally blowing out a long breath. “I’m not trying to start a fight, you know. Or tell you what to do with your life. I just don’t like seeing people I care about being unhappy, not when I don’t think they have to be.”

Any push Steff felt in continuing the argument was swept away when he realized how serious she was. And who was he really angry at - her for what she said, or himself, for knowing she was right and being too afraid to do anything?

“I’m sorry,” he told her, sincerely contrite. “I don’t want to fight either. How about I promise I’ll think about what you said, and we can go back to our picnic. You haven’t even had dessert yet.”

“Did you make it?”

“I did. Nothing fancy, but there’s a few choices.” He reached into the basket and pulled out a large tin, opening it to reveal the cookies.

Andie’s eyes widened at the variety, and Steff shrugged, smiling shyly. “I did tell you baking calmed me.”

Andie returned his smile, hers just as shy, and he knew she’d understood now just how nervous he’d been about this whole date. “I have a third of a sketchbook full of outrageous designs,” she told him as she perused her choices. “Not one of which I could sell. Some of them aren’t even possible to walk in, let alone wear.”

Steff blinked, confused by the change of topic. “Okay?”

“Just, you’re not the only one who used creativity as a distraction sometimes, that’s all,” she told him, selecting a cookie and taking a bite. “Oh my god this is amazing! I changed my mind – no catering. You need to open a bakery, as soon as possible.”

“Do you know what hours a baker keeps?” Steff shuddered hugely, warmed when it made Andie laugh. “I only believe in being up then if I haven't been to bed.” 

Though he did have to admit, if only to himself, the idea wasn't totally unappealing.

*******

The trip back was just as companionable as the drive there had been. Now, though, Steff's nerves were tingling more with anticipation than nervousness. He was pretty sure it had gone well; hopefully Andie felt the same. All too soon, he was pulling up in front of her store.

“Well, this is me,” Andie said, but made no move to get out of the car. 

“It is indeed. Unless of course you're still too full to work?”

Andie patted her stomach and grinned. “I stopped just in time. One more cookie and I'd have been a goner.”

He glanced toward the backseat. “You're welcome to take the rest with you.”

“Are you sure?”

Steff grabbed the tin and handed it to her. “Trust me, I have plenty more at home.”

“Thank you,” she said looking down at the tin, then up at him through her lashes. “And not just for the cookies. I had a really good time.”

Steff found himself leaning forward as he answered. “So did I.”

“You should make me dinner sometime,” she told him.

“I should?”

Andie looked into Steff's eyes, smiling softly as she reached up to put her hand on his cheek. “Definitely,” she said, gently pulling him toward her for a kiss.

It was several minutes after Andie had gone back into the shop before Steff was able to convince himself to leave rather than follow her in. As he finally drove away, his mind wandered off to recipes he hadn't made in years, and he wondered how hard it would be to find the book he and Maggie had put together so long ago. Normally, the thought of digging through boxes and the bits of his past contained within them would be the last thing he wanted to do.

But with Andie, he was rediscovering parts of his past that might have a positive impact on his future. Steff smiled as he drove. He had another date to plan, and a dinner menu to create. 

And hopefully this was the next step in he and Andie creating something even bigger.


End file.
